The academy's permanent secretary, Sara Danius, told The Associated Press that Dylan contacted them to confirm he would accept the prize. Danius told Sweden's TT news agency that Dylan called her Tuesday evening and they spoke for about 15 minutes.

"The news about the Nobel Prize left me speechless," Dylan told Danius, according to a statement posted Friday on the academy's website. "I appreciate the honor so much."

It is unclear whether Dylan will attend any Nobel events in Stockholm in December, Danius said.

Dylan at first was silent after the announcement, prompting a member of the Swedish Academy to call it “impolite and arrogant,” the AP reported.

Dylan has accepted many awards through the years, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for which he attended a White House ceremony in 2012.